cf cards help

[Scuba Ken]

The speed of the card makes little difference in the camera. Most cameras dump the buffer/ write to cards slower then the write speeds the card is capable of. You will only really see the difference in card speed when you download to the computer and even then you might not if you have a slow card reader.

My personal preference in cards is the Sandisk Extreme series. (Backgound info on me: I'm a photographer and photo editor. In an average year I download and edit close to 500,000 images) I have seen cards fail including Sandisk, but by far Sandisk and Lexar seem to be the most dependable.

Also I have never lost data on a Sandisk. Every failed card I've encountered was recoverable. The Sandisk cards come with software to do this which is a nice benefit.

Now the real big difference is not speed that you should be looking at in the cards for underwater photography, its the tolerance of the card to environmental conditions. The claim to fame of the Sandisk cards is the humidity and temperature resistance. For example the extreme IV are designed to be able to withstand extremes of temperature from -25°C (-13°F) to 85°C (185°F).

I do not work for Sandisk they are just my favorite. I have tons of Lexar cards and they are great as well. But if I was going to put a card underwater I'd want one with the highest temperature and humidity operating range I could find. Check the product specs on any card your looking at. If you can't find this info on it - it will likely not be one you should buy.

If the pictures are really important to you get a good card. If its for just playing around get the cheapest that works.

CF cards in general are pretty resilient. I've personally forgotten them in my pocket and run them through the wash and was still able to get data off them once they were dry.

 

[buleetu]

thanks guys

i have checked out the seller from ebay on that search thing and the person who is selling seems fine, but now that u mention humidity and temp im kinda wondering what to do again hahah,

this is the reply i got from the guy when i asked about the cards, what do u think

The 4gb cards I have are 80x speed and the 8gb cards I have are 120x speed. You can find either by visiting my ebay store at eBay Shop - Kelltec Stores: Graphic Cards, Memory, Memory Cards

N.B 1x = 150kb/s

I know how important it is to keep photos safe, I buy these cards from an authorised Sandisk dealer in Taiwan and also perform in house quality control checks on them to make sure they are top quality. They also come with a 5 Year warranty.

Best Regards

 

[alcina]

I don't know why you'd risk it when, for example, the Transcend 8gb cards from a known dealer are like $35 normally (USD).

But maybe they are fine, dunno.

 

[ScubaSteve]

The speed of the card makes little difference in the camera.........

To this I say I am no expert however the speed of a card plays a huge part in my mind. Or perhaps it is the manufacture of a card but as one of my previous post stated, I purchased a slower write speed card and it was TERRIBLE. 15 seconds to write one picture on the highest setting (which most people shoot on I would expect). I spent the money on a fast card and it was LIGHT & DAY.....down to 2 or 3 seconds. This is several years ago, but it is proof to me that write speed does matter. IMHO that is. I should also say that both of these experiences were with the same camera and only a week apart (time for me to replace the card and to get diving again).

.........this is the reply i got from the guy when i asked about the cards, what do u think........

My suggestion remains that you should walk into a brick and morter store and talk to somebody using your mouth rather than a keyboard and explain what you are doing, why you are doing it, where you are doing it and what you want from it. Once you have something you are happy with, you can ask more questions, shop around etc.. I know when I did that, the camera store guaranteed me 100% my happiness (this is after my fiasco with the slow CF card) and I was happy. They have fought to be competitive and have given me helpful advice and walked me through the different things. I buy a fair bit on Ebay so I am not slamming it.....but sometimes you need the person to person interaction to get what you want.

 

[scubazlot]

I agree to steer clear of ebay, lots of fakes out there.

I recently picked up some Lexar cards. The 2GB, 4GB and 8GB 133x and 300x series have some great rebates right now. I like to have multiple, smaller cards, so I picked up 2 4gb cards, UDMA Performance, 300x speed that usually sells for $88 at B&H, but they have a $55 rebate so its $33 per card! It was cheaper to pick up 2 4gb cards compared to 1 8GB card (though the 8GB card does have an $80 rebate attached).

These rebates are available at least through all authorized US Lexar dealers, not sure how that plays out for people overseas.

So look at B&H, J&R and all the big camera retailers and jump on these rebates while they last!

 

[tridacna]

I no longer use my camera that utilizes a CF card. All I can tell you about my experieince with it was I thought I would save some money on a bigger card and it was TERRIBLE. I did not spend the time to talk with "an expert" or spend the money on what is right and I regretted it with every shot I took. In fact, I did two dives that day and the card has not seen action since (after that sales pitch I will sell it off real cheap ). It took 15-20 seconds to write the picture data where a faster card took 2-3 seconds. Talk to an expert and tell them what you need it for. Underwater stuff happens and moves very quickly so the longer the write time the more you will miss.

Are you somehow suggesting that a CF card is slower than other format cards? Would you care to explain...? I am really curious. You are also free to explain why the earth is flat. :11:

 

[ScubaSteve]

Are you somehow suggesting that a CF card is slower than other format cards? Would you care to explain...? I am really curious. You are also free to explain why the earth is flat. :11:

WHOA....read my post below and tell me where you see me saying that any other form of memery (no other form is referenced anywhere at all) is slower or faster. All I referenced was different CF cards. Take another look, this time alittle closer and only then will I explain to you why the earth is flat.

I no longer use my camera that utilizes a CF card. All I can tell you about my experieince with it was I thought I would save some money on a bigger card and it was TERRIBLE. I did not spend the time to talk with "an expert" or spend the money on what is right and I regretted it with every shot I took. In fact, I did two dives that day and the card has not seen action since (after that sales pitch I will sell it off real cheap ). It took 15-20 seconds to write the picture data where a faster card took 2-3 seconds. Talk to an expert and tell them what you need it for. Underwater stuff happens and moves very quickly so the longer the write time the more you will miss.

 

[Scuba Ken]

Try bhphoto.com or Adorama.com both are brick and motor stores which sell online. You can call them and speak with sales reps too. They also have good prices and in my experience stand behind everything they sell. I've never had a problem with either.

 

[alcina]

scubaz - link the rebate on Lexar? I have and use Lexar cards and have nothing but good things to report.

newegg.com buydig.com beachcamera.com are all good places to buy from (from personal experience) as well as those ScubaKen has mentioned.

 

[DiverLS]

I'd also try Reef Photo Video in Ft. Lauderdale. I bought a housing, strobes and all the stuff that goes with it for my Nikon D80 from them and they beat B&H even with the rebates. The good thing, now that I bought that, I get free technical advice from them forever. And they have already provided that.

They are not well known yet but they will be. I'm extremely satisfied with their service.